Through the years I’ve been blessed to connect with some truly remarkable friends and churches. One of those people is my dear friend Chris Davis who hails from the Midland/Odessa area in the Great Republic of Texas. He is on staff as a pastor at Mid-Cities Church in Midland, but he also just happens to be one of the baddest guitar players on the planet. I have no idea how I convinced him to play guitar on my record “The Rise and The Fall”…but alas Jesus loves me. He and Mid-Cities Church have been such a support and encouragement to me through the years. Their passion for worshipping Jesus and loving the people He came to save is so contagious and inspiring.

Mid-Cities Worship recently released their first worship record titled “Hands to the Sky” which so beautifully captures their passion for worship as well as their commitment to excellence.

The latest musical offering from Every Nation Music, the “Wings EP“, is FINALLY HERE!!! I’ve been so encouraged and inspired by the many new songs being birthed in the Every Nation family of churches. This particular EP was written out of a writer’s retreat in Nashville, TN with worship leaders and writers from EN North America from Cali to Kennesaw.

I am super proud to have been one of the many collaborators for this project. I had the joy of co-writing the opening track “Many Waters” with my dear friends Chris Davis (Mid-Cities) and Robert Ellis (Grace Covenant). That is only one of five fantastic tracks on this record!

Today is my 35th birthday! Wow.

There are many thoughts I have with each passing birthday. Some about how fast time flies. Some about the number of grey hairs I’ve acquired as of late. Mostly about the number of blessings I daily find myself surrounded by.

Some will inevitable ask, “do you feel older”, “do you feel different”, “do you feel wiser”. My reply is this.

One of the things I hope to do more of here at jonowens.tv is music reviews. I love music and I love sharing good music with others. I plan on sharing a pretty diverse spread of musical treats because this of course is the raw blend and diversity is the spice of life! I am super stoked to focus this music review on my brother and friend John Lumpkin II.

For John Lumpkin “devotion” is not just an album title, it is a way of life.

Cultivating and protecting a vibrant and consistent “private” life with God is essential in the life of every Christian.

For the believer this SHOULD sound like a no brainer. No deep mystical revelation required. However, the reality is many of us live as though we can produce the kind of fruitfulness God has called us to without connecting with the one who called us in the first place.

Before I get too deep into this conversation I want to make point.

I am not blogging on this topic because I am some guru who has always possessed the perfect blue print for private devotional life.

I don’t wake up at 5am to the voices of cherubs singing sweet melodies as they lead me into my secret prayer chamber fully equipped with knee pillows, bluetooth speakers, half melted emo-candles, and an amazing cup of coffee.

Most of my life I have not identified as a “morning person” or even a pre-lunch time person. However, I do identify as a husband, a father, and most importantly a follower of Jesus and the truth is I came to the realization that I would not be very effective at any of those things unless I intentionally “abide in the vine”.

There are certain things in life that should not be touched.

Especially by nobody other than your spouse. Yes, you may have to “adjust” it from time to time, but then again…you really shouldn’t be playing around with it anyway.

Some like to refer to it as their “secret place”, but whatever you like to call it, it must be protected. I’m talking about your “private” times with Jesus.

Of course..

So much time and money is spent on us presenting ourselves well publicly. This isn’t necesarrily a bad thing. It just is what it is. It’s a good thing to shower, wear deoderant, and brush your teeth!

As an old man with little regard for being politcally correct once said, “if the barn needs painting…paint it”(that is of course unless you’re not going for the whole make-up thing…but whatever…do you boo boo)!

The bottom line is this, we daily invest time, energy, and cost into being publicly presentable while we often neglect, cancel, and even avoid spending time with God, who is the “Sustainer of Life”.